Born at the palace of Topkapı on the 30th of May, 1524. The first Sultan to be born in Istanbul and to rise to the throne, Selim was the first Sultan to reign. The most of his childhood was spent in Topkapı Palace. It was in 1542 that Amasya sanjak bey, together with his brother Mehmet, became Konya sanjak bey. This occurred after his older brother Mustafa was dispatched to Manisa in the capacity of sanjak bey in the year 1533. Mehmet, his older brother, was promoted to the position of Manisa sanjak bey on the same day that Mustafa was transferred to the position of Amasya sanjak bey. It has been asserted that the influential figure known as Hurrem Sultan, who was said to have had a significant impact on Suleiman the Magnificent, 
was responsible for these alterations. While he was on his way to the throne, II. In 1543, the passing of his older brother Mehmet was the event that cleared the road for Selim to become successful. Immediately upon the passing of Mehmet II, Selim was assigned to the position of sanjak principality of Manisa. In those years, many statesmen considered Mustafa, the sanjak ruler of Amasya, as the heir of Suleiman the Magnificent. The reality of the matter is that Prince Bayezid II, who was dispatched to the Konya Sanjak Principality in the year 1546, also held the position of Sultan of Konya. He was viewed as superior than Selim. The reason for this was Selim’s penchant for entertainment. II. Hürrem Sultan, who had great expectations from Selim, arrived to Manisa and visited him in April 1546, escorted by Cihangir, and remained here for approximately a month. During Suleiman’s second Iranian expedition, he was dispatched to Edirne with the duty of safeguarding Rumelia. Since he was fond of hunting like his father, he spent his time hunting in Edirne. He participated in the Nakhchivan expedition with his father in 1553. On the route to this voyage, on October 4, 1553, prince Mustafa welcomed his father, Suleiman the Magnificent, in Konya Ereğlisi site. When Mustafa entered the tent to meet his father the next day, he discovered the executioners in front of him. Thus, Selim traveled to the Nakhchivan expedition with his father. Here, he gained the respect of his father with his meek and humble nature.
The Princes’ Struggle for Power Became Violent
Returning to Manisa on November 1, 1554, Selim felt confident that he had become the only successor to the kingdom in his father’s eyes. Because during the campaign, his younger brother Cihangir, who was loved very much by his father, also went away. Additionally, following Mustafa’s execution, many people’s focus moved to Bayezid, who was the sanjak head in Kütahya. This event triggered the commencement of a power struggle between Selim and Bayezid. In this fight, Bayezid lost authority. The death of Hürrem Sultan in 1558 further heightened the conflict between the two brothers. Thereupon, on September 6, 1558, Suleiman the Magnificent relocated Selim to Konya and Bayezid to Amasya in order to keep the two brothers away from one other. The fight for succession between the two brothers escalated in 1559. They assembled mercenaries called “yevmlu” against each other. However, Selim did not overlook to gain his father’s backing when recruiting warriors. The troops mustered by the two brothers fought a brutal fight that lasted two days on May 29, 1559. On the second day, Bayezid was beaten and had to retire. Selim proceeded to pursue him, even though Sokollu Mehmet Pasha was accompanying him. He proceeded to Hınıs via Sivas. From there he got his kapikuls and proceeded down to Diyarbakir and subsequently to Aleppo. However, when the word arrived that Bayezid and his sons had found asylum in Iran, he returned to Konya on December 4, 1559.
The Janissaries Were Not Satisfied with His Ascension to the Throne
After Bayezid found sanctuary in Iran, Selim was left as the sole heir to the Ottoman palace. For this reason, in order to be closer to Istanbul, he was given Kütahya sanjak principality in early 1562. There he began to wait for the day when he would rise to the throne. After the death of Suleiman the Magnificent during the Szigetvar expedition, he came to Istanbul on September 30, 1566 and took on the throne. After remaining in Istanbul for three days, he headed off for Belgrade to meet his father’s body. 
The news of Suleiman the Magnificent’s death was publicly revealed on 24-25 October. II, who dispersed the culus gratuity when rising to the throne at Istanbul. Here too, Selim had to confront the troops and administer the royal reward. However, the janissaries, who were not pleased with the tip they received since they anticipated more, threatened that they would hold them accountable in Istanbul. In addition, the Janissaries responded angrily to the mercenary Anatolian troops called yevmlü, who came with the sultan, and assaulted them. Thus, he faced a significant dilemma even after his succession to the throne.
He left the affairs to Sokollu Mehmet Pasha
II, who was tried in a fashion by Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet Pasha on the occasion of this affair. Selim ultimately gave in to the requests of the doorman. As a matter of fact, when they got to Istanbul on December 5, the Janissaries stopped the highways, claiming the progress and tips they could not get as a reason. They knocked off the second vizier Pertev Pasha and Kaptanıderya Piyale Pasha, who wished to give them advise, from their horses with spear strikes, and struck the third vizier Ferhat Pasha with a rifle stock. Thus, via the mediation of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, they got the sultan approve their requests for further gifts and advancement. After the crisis cooled down, the sultan was allowed to enter the palace. Desperate against the Janissaries, II. Thus, Selim left state matters to Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet Pasha. However, like his father, he named his sons-in-law Piyale Pasha and Anatolian Beylerbeyi Zal Mahmut Pasha as vizier, and appointed his lala Hüseyin Pasha as Anatolian Beylerbeyi.
He Didn’t Go on Any Expeditions
II. Selim became the first Ottoman monarch not to go on any voyages throughout his 8-year reign. He spent much of his time at the palace in Istanbul and in Edirne in the winter. Many times he was among poets, musicians and fun-loving individuals whom he collected around him. One year after gaining the role of king, the Ulyanoğlu Revolt occurred in Basra. In the same days, the Imam Mutahhar Rebellion broke out in Yemen. He assigned his old lala, Mustafa Pasha, as Yemen commander to quash the uprising. When he discovered that Lala Mustafa Pasha was incompetent in the insurrection in Yemen, he nominated Koca Sinan Pasha instead. Then followed the news of the recapture of Sana’a and Aden. Meanwhile, the Astrakhan expedition was organized in August 1569. A month after this journey, a massive fire broke out in Istanbul. Hundreds of houses in Istanbul were destroyed in the fire that raged for a week. Thousands of people in the city had to spend the winter in temporary shelters.
An Expedition was Organized to Cyprus
II. The most major operation of the Selim period was organized in Cyprus. Despite the objections of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, II. Selim desired this mission, which he had attached considerable significance to since his tenure as prince, to be carried out. The expedition, carried out under the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha, ended in success on August 1, 1571. While the Ottoman army was engaged with the conquest of Cyprus, Andalusian Muslims dispatched a delegation to Istanbul and begged support. II. Selim vowed to aid after the Cyprus mission. Although he wanted to travel on an expedition to Spain following the conquest of Tunisia, his fate did not enable him to do so. Three months after the capture of Cyprus, the Ottoman fleet suffered a catastrophic loss against the Crusader naval in Lepanto, near the Strait of Corinth in the Mediterranean. This defeat inflicted a severe blow to the Ottoman control in the Mediterranean. For this reason, II. Selim authorized the establishment of a new fleet. II was greatly devastated by the defeat. Selim was consoled by the fact that the new navy was created and launched in a short period. The new fleet, which traveled to the Mediterranean under the leadership of Kılıç Ali Pasha, arranged its maiden journey to Tunisia and word of triumph came in 1574. Then, Tunisia was tied to Istanbul by becoming a beylerbeyi.
He Considered the Kitchen Fire as a Sign of His Death
Meanwhile, in May 1574, the kitchen of Topkapi Palace totally burnt down. II, who was enjoying fun in the Beykoz garden at the time of the fire. While Selim ordered the kitchen to be rebuilt, he revealed with his circle that the fire was a sign of his own death, thinking that he had the same fate as his grandpa, Yavuz Sultan Selim. Therefore, in October 1574, he decided to give up entertainment and devote himself to religion. When his health deteriorated, he brought Chief Physician Mustafa Efendi and told him that he was near the end of his life. When he recovered a little, he went to the Haliç Shipyard and watched the activity. However, he felt unwell again and had to return to the palace. Various causes have been put up for his suffering. 
According to a tale, while strolling in the freshly erected baths in the palace, he tripped and fell, damaged one side of his body, and subsequently suffered a terrible fever. After his fall, he could not go to the sofa for two months. Selim died dead on December 13, 1574. After his body was held in the freezer in the palace for 12 days, the news of his death was publicized to the public when his son Murat arrived in Istanbul. His remains was buried in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, together with his five slain princes Osman, Mustafa, Süleyman, Cihangir and Abdullah, in the spot planned for his tomb, which was erected by his command. His second son, Mehmet, died two years before him while he was little. Of his four daughters, İsmihan Sultan, Sokollu Mehmet Pasha; Shah Sultan initially Hasan Pasha, then Zal Mahmut Pasha; Gevherhan Sultan, Piyale Pasha and Fatma Sultan III, who was born in Konya in 1560. During the reign of Murat, she was married to Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha. His only wife whose name is known is Nurbanu Sultan.
Did not appear in public
Unlike his father Suleiman the Magnificent, he disliked appearing in public. Selim spent much of his time at the palace. His absence from the Friday greetings and his absence from the expedition at the head of the army marked a major departure in the sultanate custom. II. handed the palace affairs primarily to Sokollu Mehmet Pasha. Selim followed the things that came to his thoughts extremely intently. II, who was a skilled poet and penned poetry under the pseudonyms “Selimî” and “Tâlibi”. Although Selim does not have a divan, his poetry are considered among the good examples of divan literature. According to a note collected by a foreign observer in 1573, Selim was spending time playing chess with the elderly woman, the wife of his tutor Akşemsettinzade Şemsettin Çelebi, and listening to the jokes she told.
He had numerous tasks done
II. Selim is noted for his many good activities. Especially Selimiye Mosque, a masterpiece by Mimar Sinan in Edirne, is the greatest illustration of this. The social complex at Konya, the building of which begun under his governorship and was finished during his reign, is a good example of Ottoman architecture. II. ordered the ancient wooden roofing around the Kaaba in Mecca removed and rebuilt with domed porticoes. Selim also finished the Aynizübeyde canal, which had been started earlier.
He rescued Hagia Sophia from collapse by destroying the buildings around it and fortifying them with buttresses. He had this repair done by Mimar Sinan. He also constructed two minarets and two madrassas to the Hagia Sophia Mosque. On the other side, he completed the Büyükçekmece Bridge, the building of which commenced during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, and had a citadel erected at the mouth of Navarino Port. Apart from this, he had the Saint Sophia Cathedral in freshly seized Nicosia transformed into a mosque in his name and had the Aziz Efendi Lodge erected there. He also erected mosques, inns and baths in the Payas area of today’s Hatay province, thereby enabling this site to become a town. Similarly, he had the Karapınar area of Konya established today under the name Sultaniye.
How did Sultan Selim die?
Prince Selim did not join in his father’s last journey, the last Austrian journey of 1566. While Selim went hunting in the Sıçanlı desert outside Kütahya, he learnt that his father died on September 7 at the siege of Sigetvar, via a secret letter delivered as a surprise by Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who disguised this event from everyone. He promptly went out for Istanbul with a regiment, accompanied with his lalas Huseyin Pasha, Hoca Attaullah and his accountant Celal Bey. He landed at Üskudar on 30 September. 
Everyone was ignorant of his father’s death. Bostancıbaşı Davut Ağa, who came to Üskudar Pier with his royal boat, was one of the first persons to recognize Sultan Selim’s sultanate and carried him to Topkapı with his royal boat. At that moment, the sultanate guns were fired from the Shipyard and Tophane and it was reported to the populace that the new sultan had assumed the throne. Sultan Selim marched from the Pavilion Pier to the city gate on horseback, wearing special fancy clothes, and sprinkled money to the people on the route. Selim, who arrived to the palace, was installed on the throne and his dominion was accepted by the officials in Istanbul (Istanbul Guard İskender Pasha, Şeyhülislam Ebussuud Efendi, etc.). In order to cover the costs spent during this period, the state treasury, which required a special ceremony, was not opened and 50,000 gold given by his elder sister Mihrimah Sultan was utilized.
Sultan Selim departed Istanbul two days later to meet the soldiers for his father’s burial. He proceeded extremely swiftly through Edirne, Plovdiv and Sofia (a journey that typically takes 30 days) and reached Belgrade in 15 days. Suleiman the Magnificent’s death was reported to the army returning from the battle, four ranges from Belgrade, and Sultan Selim received the shattered army in Belgrade. After the funeral liturgy at Belgrade, Suleiman the Magnificent’s body was brought to Istanbul in a haste. Sultan Selim, who stayed in Belgrade, declined to organize a second enthronement ceremony there. The gratuity he delivered to the men was perceived as minimal by the Kapıkulu soldiers and was met with hostility. Sultan Selim landed in Edirne in November, and after waiting there and being subjected to the rebellious actions of the doormen on the roadways, he was allowed to come to Istanbul in December.